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Creative Cards DIY Art Projects Painting Products Watercolor

4 Holiday Card Ideas

Create your own handmade greetings this holiday season and give these 4 card-making ideas from Strathmore a try!

CARD 1: Pop-up Watercolor Card

MATERIALS:

INSTRUCTIONS:

  • Personalize the front of the card with your own artwork / design

  • Cut the mixed media paper to the same size as the unfolded card

  • Fold the mixed media paper in half and cut a small tab in the center

  • Glue mixed media paper to card leaving middle tab unglued

  • Tape the top part of the inside of the card to add a border. Add blue and purple watercolor washes as a night sky.

  • Let the watercolor dry, then use white acrylic to paint in a moon. Splatter acrylic paint to make stars (Some artists use an old toothbrush for this. Some use a brush with stiff bristles to spritz the white acrylic paint onto the paper). Use a small detail brush to add points to the bigger stars. 

  • Let the paint dry, then use a permanent ink pen to draw in reindeer and a sleigh flying across the moon

  • Remove the tape and clean up the border with white acrylic if needed
  • Using a separate sheet of watercolor paper, paint the shadow parts of a mountain the the width of the card

  • Let the paint dry, then cut out the mountains

  • Glue the mountains to the tab on the inside of the card

  • Let dry, and ta-da!

 

 

CARD 2: TAPED DESIGN CARD

MATERIALS:

INSTRUCTIONS:

  • Use painters tape to create a design on the front of the card

  • Fill in sections with different watercolor designs
  • For some areas, paint light washes as background, let it dry, then add designs on top

  • Let the paint dry, then use white gel pen to add details to the designs

  • Slowly and carefully remove the tape

  • FINISHED!

 

CARD 3: PHOTO CARDS

MATERIALS:

INSTRUCTIONS:

Photo Mount Cards:

  • Trim photo to size according to card package instructions

  • Place adhesive tabs from card package onto the 4 corners of your photo

  • Center the photo on the card and press firmly

  • DONE!

Photo Frame Cards

  • Trim photo to size according to card package instructions
  • Place adhesive tabs from card package onto the 4 corners of your photo
  • Slide the photo into the slot for the card and center it - press down firmly

  • DONE!

 

CARD 4: FOIL TRANSFER CARD

MATERIALS:

INSTRUCTIONS:

  • Tape stencil in place on front of card

  • Spray the stencil with a spray adhesive (wear a respirator mask and spray in a well-ventilated area)

  • Remove the stencil (be careful not to touch the sprayed areas with your hands)
  • Place gold foil on top of sprayed card (foil side facing you, not facing down)

  • Press the foil into the adhesive and burnish with the handles of a scissors or similar object

  • Remove the foil

  • FINISHED!

We hope you have a great time making handmade greeting cards this holiday season!

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